Taking care of an elderly adult can often be demanding to the extent of reaching breaking point. People who take care after seniors at home, or people who work in care facilities can relate to this.
It is vital to take a time out for yourself or otherwise you can get sick yourself. Here are five valuable tips to help you with handling senior care along with the stress that is associated with it.
- Clearly Define Your Boundary Lines
Knowing what your responsibilities is and what is not and which situations you can control, and which is beyond your control can make a substantial difference. You cannot control someone else’s feelings, thoughts or behaviors. But what you can do is learning to control the way you feel, think and act. Empathy is a good thing, however feelings of guilt about how someone else is feeling or expressing their pain is not part of your responsibility. Imagine your skin as the boundary line. Whatever happens outside of you, you have no control over. You can offer your assistance to others;however, you cannot control how they react or feel about your care. It is up to you to define the limit of what you are willing to give before you must stop and take a break for your own wellbeing. Try to think thoughts that can help you to cope and getting through difficult situations.
- Feelings Of Concern Vs. Worry
Worry entails constantly thinking about something that is beyond your control and you cannot do anything about it. Concern, on the other hand is the things that we can change and make a difference. Avoid asking “why” and start asking “how” and “what”. How can the situation be made better or what can be done to improve the situation? The why questions can only keep you trapped in an endless circle and lead to unhealthy stress levels.
- Obtain Help Whenever Possible
Feeling helpless can be upsetting and an unhealthy emotion. It results in the feeling of wanting to run away. Admitting that you’re in over your head is however a healthy emotion. Once you admit that you need help, you can start changing the situation. Have a look at this website for more information about home health care assistance.
- Sadness Vs. Depression
When you are experiencing loss, sadness is a healthy form of emotion. When you’re sad, you are recognizing the pain of the loss while realizing it will pass eventually. Depression, however, is not a healthy reaction to equal circumstances and usually happens when the loss is perpetual. It makes people think that their lives are worthless and it’s not worth living. Healthy caregivers know that the pain and loss is not unending, and by having a positive outlook and faith, they know these difficult circumstances are not forever and things will work out as it should.
- Resentment Vs. Anger
Being resentful of the patient and circumstances can result in retaliation in unhealthy ways. Anger, however, is healthy. Anger handles the behavior of the person in question, confronts it, and start taking action to resolve the issue. Resentment is taking something personally and attacking the person, declaring them not worthy as a human being. When dealing with the person, remember to attack the behavior and not the person itself. Every human being has unlimited worth, even though they make mistakes.
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